Christians have been in Iraq for 2,000 years, but so many have now fled due to attacks by Islamic extremists that their communities are disappearing. Ed Stourton travels to Iraqi Kurdistan to assess how safe the area is for representatives of minority religions living there.

The Iraqi city of Najaf is thriving as a religious tourist destination for Shia Muslims, including Iranians, but the BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse finds it is treading a fine line between religion and politics.

An al-Qaeda group in Yemen was behind the failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound US plane on Christmas Day, US intelligence officials say. Jeremy Bowen has been to Yemen to investigate the growth of al-Qaeda.

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